At the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s concert this Friday, the audience will be transported back to the 1700s through a programme featuring CPE Bach and Haydn. However, principal oboist Jenny Clapp will be reminiscing about a more recent past.
Clapp will take center stage for Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto in D Minor, the very music that played as she walked down the aisle during her wedding in 2013.
Clapp, who serves both as the principal oboe and librarian at the CSO, describes the piece as “absolutely beautiful music.”
Eleven years ago, an oboist friend performed the piece as Clapp made her way to her future husband, Neil, at Hinton’s vineyard on Wairakei Rd, Christchurch.
Did Clapp ever consider performing it herself?
“I absolutely refused to,” Clapp said.
“But at my really good friend’s wedding, I did play the oboe while walking up the aisle as one of her bridesmaids because she wanted me to play.”
Clapp particularly adores the “glorious” Adagio movement of the Albinoni concerto.
“A lot of people might think they don’t know it, but I believe they might recognize it,” she said.
She noted that the Adagio was also played at the wedding of King Charles and Queen Camilla by oboist Gordon Hunt, from whom Clapp has received several lessons. Hunt is a regular visitor to New Zealand.
This week’s concert at The Piano also features CPE Bach’s Symphony No. 3 in C Major and Haydn’s Symphony No. 89 in F Major. All three pieces, including Albinoni’s concerto, were composed within a 60-year span.
Outside the concert hall, Clapp is busy managing the CSO library. She began this dual role with her oboe duties in 2011 and sees herself as the “lock and key” of the orchestra’s music collection.
The role of orchestral librarian is demanding, involving tasks such as liaising with concert masters to mark up scores and ensuring that all string players are bowing in the same direction to save time during rehearsals.
Clapp is enthusiastic about being part of the CSO, which she describes as a valuable asset to Ōtautahi.
“Sixty percent of what the orchestra does is community engagement work, which is one of the reasons I love the CSO so much. There’s a strong emphasis on being actively involved in the city, which is really valuable.”
